Traditional sterile technique requires that all personnel contacting patients don protective clothing as a barrier against pathogenic cross-contamination. Protective masks, gloves and clothing covers are used in most, if not all, surgical procedures. However, the dental profession traditionally has foregone the use of protective clothing and gloves in most procedures involving patient contact The necessity of working and manipulating instruments within the close confines of the mouth, as well as a lower probability of dangerous cross-contamination, made the wearing of barrier clothing impracticable.
The advent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has forced the dental profession to re-examine the value of protective clothing in procedures involving patient contact. Research has indicated that the viral pathogens causing AIDS are transmitted via contact with body fluids, including blood and possibly saliva. To avoid contamination from the AIDS virus, dental practitioners in increasing numbers are donning latex gloves, despite the resultant loss in dexterity.
The hindrance of latex gloves has added to the difficulty of many common dental procedures. The cleaning of teeth (dental prophylaxIs) is a typical example. In early procedures the tooth cleaning agent (prophylaxis paste) was taken from a bulk package and placed on a tray suspended above the reclining patient. The paste was then repeatedly transferred as needed to the teeth using a rotary, hand-held cleaning device. To simplify the procedure many dentists made use of a metal dispensing instrument consisting of two C-shaped half loops affixed perpendicularly to one another. One loop encircled the index finger of the user, while the other loop accepted a unit of prophylaxis paste. The above described dispensing system operates efficiently when attached to a bare index finger, but use on a gloved hand makes attachment and removal of the instrument cumbersome at best.